Refillable bottle.



L. J. GRECELIUS. REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1912.

. Patented Nov. 25, 1913.-

inventor:

fittest ma. M] L Y b M M 5 UNITED STATES PATENT orurron.

LOUIS J. CRECELIUS, or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES A, 'rHoM-rs'oN, or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFILLABLE BOTTLE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25', 1913'.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs J. CREGELIUS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refillable Bottles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates primarily to a re fillable glass bottle having a glass ground stopper, which is permanently contained within the bottle, and which is adapted to seat in an outwardly tapered ground seat of conoidal shape in the mouth end of the neck of the bottle, either by inverting the bottle when being filled; or, if the bottle be filled in an inverted position, after the filling operation is completed, the stopper at once dropping into its ground seat in the mouth end of the neck of the bottle, after which a slight jar or bump will cause said stopper to positively wedge some part of its ground surface into frictional contact with the ground surface of its seat and be retained therein, except as against a considerable degree of pressure tending to force it inwardly.

By my improvement a stopper is provided that is adapted to be used over and over again for subsequent refilling of the bottle; and, owing to the stopper being retained within the bottle, it is subjected to the same washing and sterilizing processes as that to which the bottle itself is subjected, so that a thoroughly sanitary stopper is produced. By my improvement, also, the ordinary crown cap or seal may be used to surround the mouth end of the bottle, as my stopper does not project above the mouth end. By this arrangement a double seal is produced.

By my improvement, I have produced a stopper which may be readily and inexpensively ground, and which is always positive in its seating action, and one which will constantly retain its position wedged in the tapered conoidal seat in the mouth end of the neck of the bottle until pressed inwardly by the exertion of some considerable degree of force. As it is spherical and has its entire surface ground, it presents a universal seating surface to the stopper seat.

, Reference is made to my abandoned application filed October 24, 1910, Serial Number 588611.

In order that my invention may be fully understood I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawing which is an elevation of my improved refillable bottle partly broken away at the mouth end of the neck thereof.

1 designates a glass bottle provided with an outwardly tapered groundseat 2 which is of conoidal shape at the month end of the neck of said bottle, said seat being ground to provide a roughened friction surface. 3 is a glass stopper contained within said bottle and seated in the tapered stopper seat 2, said stopper having its entire surface ground to provide a universal roughened friction surface adapted to engage with the friction surface of the tapered seat 2 and be frictionally held therein. It may be desirable in some cases to employ an additional closure, and 4 designates the ordinary crown cork or seal, which is placed about the month end of the bottle, and having its edges crimped over an external annular bead to hold the same in position upon the mouth end of the bottle.

5 designates the annular shoulder of an ordinary type of bottle.

A bottle having one of my stoppers therein may be filled in an upright or inverted position. If the bottle be filled in an inverted position, a suitable object, such as a pad, is placed at the mouth of the bottle to prevent escape of its contents and the bottle inverted, the stopper descending by gravity to the stopper receiving seat 2 of the bottle to become seated therein. The stopper may then become firmly seated by jarring or bumping the bottle while it remains in an invertedposition, so that the stopper will positively wedge in the seat 2 and be frictionally retained therein. As the stopper is spherical, it presents a universal seating surface to the stopper seat. The ground seat being of tapering conoidal shape a slightly curved surface is provided which conforms in a small degree to the rounded surface of the spherical or ball stopper and increases the contacting surfaces of the seat and stopper.

In order to unseat the stopper, it is only necessary to tap the same sharply with any suitable instrument, thereby loosening the stopper, when it will descend by gravity to the bottom of the bottle, when the liquid contents of the bottle may be poured therefrom. The shoulder 5 serves to restrain the stopper from rolling into the mouth of the bottle while the bottle is held in a plane substantially horizontal, but the shoulder does not prevent the stopper from dropping into its seat when the bottle is inverted.

As the stopper is of glass, it is not susceptible of being attacked and its sealing efli'ciency destroyed by any acids in the liquid contained within the bottle, or by any acid used in the sterilizing process.

I claim A refillable glass bottle formed with a neck having an outwardly gradually tapering conoidal finely ground seat providing a slightly curved roughened frictional surface at the mouth or filling end of the neck of the bottle, and a glass finely ground ball stopper providing a universal roughened frictional surface over the entire stopper which is loosely contained within the bottle and adapted to seat outwardly and to contact with the curved roughened frictional surface of the seat which conforms with a suflicient portion of any part of the surface of the stopper and securely seals the contents of the bottle when the bottle with its contents is inverted and bumped or jarred endwise to seat the stopper.

LOUIS J. CRECELIUS. In the presence of A. J. MGGAULEY, E. B. LINN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 11. 0. 

